trip
1 Americannoun
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a journey or voyage.
to win a trip to Paris.
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a journey, voyage, or run made by a boat, train, bus, or the like, between two points.
It's a short trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia.
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a single journey or course of travel taken as part of one's duty, work, etc..
his daily trip to the bank.
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a stumble; misstep.
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a sudden impeding or catching of a person's foot so as to throw the person down, especially in wrestling.
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a slip, mistake, error, or blunder.
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an error or lapse in conduct or etiquette.
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a light, nimble step or movement of the feet.
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Machinery.
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a projecting object mounted on a moving part for striking a control lever to stop, reverse, or otherwise control the actions of some machine, as a milling machine or printing press.
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a sudden release or start.
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a catch of fish taken by a fishing vessel in a single voyage.
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Slang.
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an instance or period of being under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug, especially LSD.
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the euphoria, illusions, etc., experienced during such a period.
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any stimulating or exciting experience.
The class reunion was a real trip.
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any intense interest or preoccupation.
She's been on a nostalgia trip all week.
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a period of time, experience, or lifestyle.
Those early years in college were a bad trip.
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verb (used without object)
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to stumble.
to trip over a child's toy.
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to make a slip, error, or mistake, as in conversation or conduct.
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to go with a light, quick step or tread.
She tripped gaily across the room.
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to make a journey or excursion.
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to tip or tilt.
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Horology. (of a tooth on an escape wheel) to slide past the face of the pallet by which it is supposed to be locked and strike the pallet in such a way as to move the balance or pendulum improperly.
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Slang. to be under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug, especially LSD (often followed byout ).
He tripped out on peyote.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to stumble (often followed byup ).
The rug tripped him up.
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to cause to fail; hinder, obstruct, or overthrow.
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to cause to make a slip or error (often followed byup ).
to trip up a witness by skillful questioning.
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to catch in a slip or error.
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to tip or tilt.
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Nautical.
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to break out (an anchor) by turning over or lifting from the bottom by a line tripping line attached to the anchor's crown.
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to tip or turn (a yard) from a horizontal to a vertical position.
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to lift (an upper mast) before lowering.
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to operate, start, or set free (a mechanism, weight, etc.) by suddenly releasing a catch, clutch, or the like.
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Machinery. to release or operate suddenly (a catch, clutch, etc.).
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to tread or dance lightly upon (the ground, floor, etc.).
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Archaic. to perform with a light or tripping step, as a dance.
idioms
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lay a trip on, to inflict one's preoccupations or obsessions on (another person).
Mother's been trying to lay a guilt trip on me about leaving home.
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trip the light fantastic, to go dancing.
noun
noun
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an outward and return journey, often for a specific purpose
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any tour, journey, or voyage
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a false step; stumble
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any slip or blunder
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a light step or tread
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a manoeuvre or device to cause someone to trip
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Also called: tripper.
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any catch on a mechanism that acts as a switch
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( as modifier )
trip button
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a surge in the conditions of a chemical or other automatic process resulting in an instability
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informal a hallucinogenic drug experience
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informal any stimulating, profound, etc, experience
verb
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to stumble or cause to stumble
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to make or cause to make a mistake or blunder
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to trap or catch in a mistake
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(intr) to go on a short tour or journey
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(intr) to move or tread lightly
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informal (intr) to experience the effects of LSD or any other hallucinogenic drug
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(tr)
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to activate (a mechanical trip)
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to switch electric power off by moving the switch armature to disconnect the supply
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Synonym Usage
Trip, expedition, journey, pilgrimage, voyage are terms for a course of travel made to a particular place, usually for some specific purpose. Trip is the general word, indicating going any distance and returning, by walking or any means of locomotion, for either business or pleasure, and in either a hurried or a leisurely manner: a trip to Europe; a vacation trip; a bus trip. An expedition, made often by an organized company, is designed to accomplish a specific purpose: an archaeological expedition. Journey indicates a trip of considerable length, wholly or mainly by land, for business or pleasure or other reasons, and is now applied to travel that is more leisurely or more fatiguing than a trip; a return is not necessarily indicated: the long journey to Tibet. A pilgrimage is made as to a shrine, from motives of piety or veneration: a pilgrimage to Lourdes. A voyage is travel by water or air, usually for a long distance and for business or pleasure; if by water, leisure is indicated: a voyage around the world.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of trip1
First recorded in 1350–1400; 1960–65 trip 1 for def. 12; Middle English trippen “to step lightly,” from Old French trip(p)er, from Middle Dutch; compare early Dutch trippen, Dutch trippelen (frequentative with -el ), akin to Old English treppan “to tread”
Origin of trip2
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; apparently special use of trip 1 in the sense of “a group moving together,” hence “gang, flock”
Explanation
When you trip, you stumble or lose your footing. As a noun, a trip is a journey or outing, like your trip to the library yesterday or your trip to Japan last summer. You can trip over a bump in the sidewalk, and you can also trip another person, or make them stumble (although it's not very nice to do so on purpose). The 14th-century meaning of the verb was "tread lightly and nimbly, dance, or caper." Experts aren't quite sure how trip got from that to "awkwardly stumble."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Espina’s colleague from the Guatemalan branch of the National Prayer Breakfast, Willy Gómez, appears in the January 2026 trip itinerary as a “member” of the U.S.
From Salon • May 29, 2026
He had been due to travel Friday to Ituri, a remote northeastern province that is the epicentre of the country's 17th Ebola outbreak, but the trip has been pushed back by a day.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
"Seeing that happen was the first time where I came back from that trip and I told my dad that I think we need to really embrace where we are," Kroenke said.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Not long afterward, the Tigers piled into their team bus for a six-hour trip home.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
How about you and me take a trip here together next summer?
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
